JP2002341147A - Single coated optical fiber separation tool for optical fiber tape - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a single coated optical fiber separation tool for optical fiber tape which can easily shear and longitudinally separate the fiber at the terminal part thereof and remove coating layer after separation in a short time and which does not damage colored layer. SOLUTION: The single coated optical fiber separation tool 1 for removing a coating layer 84 remaining around a coated optical fiber after fiber separation of a tape fiber 80 in the terminal part thereof is provided with: a pair of shearing tools 17a and 17b which pinch the terminal part of the tape fiber 80 from both sides in order to carry out single core separation of the coated optical fibers of the terminal part of the tape fiber 80 and shear and separate the coated optical fibers together with the coating layer 84 in the direction of the coated fiber; and a pair of cutting blades 18a and 18b which make cuts into the tape coating layer 84 in order to remove the tape coating layer 84 remaining around the coated optical fiber on the upstream side of the fiber separation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a single-fiber tape fiber separation tool for separating a fiber core at the end of a tape fiber into single fibers and removing a tape coating layer remaining around the fiber core after the single fiber separation. It is about.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Normally, a tape fiber is laid in a cable state. However, a part of a core fiber may be branched at an arbitrary point, and a single fiber may be separated and a coating layer may be removed.

As a tape fiber, for example, there is a four-core tape fiber 80 as shown in FIG. The four-core tape fiber 80 has four fiber cores 83 in which the outer circumferences of the optical fibers 81a to 81d are covered with buffer layers 82a to 82d, respectively.
a to d are arranged in a horizontal line, and the outer circumferences of the first to fourth fiber core wires 83 a to 83 d are covered with a tape coating layer 84. Each of the buffer layers 82a to 82d has a two-layer structure of an inner layer and an outer layer. The outer layer is a colored layer colored with different colors so that the optical fibers 81a to 81d can be identified.

Conventionally, when the tape fiber 80 is separated into a single fiber at the terminal portion and the tape coating layer 84 remaining around the fiber cores 83a to 83d after the single fiber separation is removed, the single fiber is separated and coated with a finger. In some cases, the core may be separated, or the core may be separated and the coating may be removed using a canned single core separation tool.

When a single fiber is separated by a finger, the ends of the tape fibers 80 are loosened and teared one by one in the longitudinal direction to separate all of the fiber cores 83a to 83d into a single fiber. Thereafter, the tape coating layer 84 remaining on each of the fiber cores 83a to 83d is manually removed. When the single-core separation tool is used to separate a single fiber, the tape coating layer 84 on the left, right, and upper sides of the tape fiber 80 is cut off with a knife to separate the single fiber.

[0006]

However, in the prior art, the tape fiber 80 is separated from the terminal by hand into a single core, and the tape coating layer 8 remaining around the respective core wires 83a to 83d.
Since 4 is removed by hand, it takes a long time to separate the core and remove the coating. In addition, the tape fiber 80 is
Since the periphery of a to d is collectively covered with a strong tape covering material, some tape covering layers 84 may not be able to be removed. Further, when a canned single-core separation tool is used, the cutting tool may enter the colored layer depending on how the force is applied, and there is a problem that the colored layer is cut and damaged.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to easily shear, longitudinally separate, and remove a tape coating layer after separation of a tape fiber at a terminal portion in a short time, An object of the present invention is to provide a tape fiber single-fiber separation tool that does not damage a coloring layer.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and the invention of claim 1 separates a single fiber at a terminal portion of a tape fiber, and after the single fiber is separated. In a single-fiber separation tool for removing a tape coating layer remaining around a fiber core, a tape coating layer is sandwiched between both ends of the tape fiber to separate the core fiber at the end of the tape fiber. , A pair of shearing tools that shear and separate in the core wire direction, and a pair of cuts that cut into the tape coating layer to remove the tape coating layer remaining around the single fiber separated upstream fiber core wire This is a tape fiber single core separation tool having a blade.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the pair of shearing tools include a receiving tool having a cutout groove having substantially the same diameter as the fiber core wire, and a projection fitted into each of the cutout grooves. And
2. The single-fiber separation tool according to claim 1, further comprising a shearing press for shearing adjacent fiber cores together with the tape coating layer in the core wire direction.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a single-fiber tape fiber separating tool according to the second aspect, wherein a relief portion for a fiber core wire having a width larger than the groove width is formed in a deep portion of each notch groove of the receiving member. is there.

The tape fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gap between the cutting edges when the pair of cutting blades is closed is formed to be larger than the glass diameter of the fiber core. It is a single core separation tool.

[0012]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a tape fiber single-fiber separation tool according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a front view, FIG. 1 (b) is a right side view, and FIG. It is each showing a top view.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tape fiber single-fiber separation tool 1 of the present invention separates a tape fiber 80 into a single fiber at a terminal portion, and the tape coating layer 84 remaining around the fiber after the single-fiber separation. And a substantially L-shaped upper base 3 and a substantially Z-shaped lower base connected by a shaft 2 so as to be openable and closable so that the end of the tape fiber 80 can be sandwiched from both sides. 4 make up the whole.

The tape fiber single-fiber separation tool 1 is small and light in size, and is small enough to fit on the palm of the hand. The tool 1 is grasped with the right hand, and the upper base 3 is pressed against the lower base 4 with the right thumb. Used for Lower base 4
The upper and lower bases 3 and 4 are closed only when the tool 1 is used, and the upper and lower bases 3 and 4 are normally open.

The upper base 3 has a horseshoe-shaped knuckle 7 integrally provided at the rear end of the central arm 8 and a working portion 9 extending to the left of the central arm 8. L
It is formed into a character.

The lower base 4 is integrally provided with a convex clevis portion 11 at the rear end of the central arm portion 12, and on the left side of the tip of the arm portion 12, a working portion overlapping the working portion 9 of the upper base 3. 13 and an extension working portion 13a extending from the working portion 13 to the distal end side in parallel with the arm portion 12.

After the knuckle portion 7 of the upper base 3 is fitted to the clevis portion 11 of the lower base 4, the shaft 2 is inserted therebetween, and
When the upper and lower bases 3 and 4 are closed, the arm 12 of the lower base 4 and the arm 8 of the upper base 3 are opposed to each other.

A spring 6 for constantly urging the upper and lower bases 3 and 4 in the opening direction is provided at a rear portion of the upper surface between the arm portion 12 and the arm portion 8. In addition, a stopper 15 is formed at a lower portion of the side wall on the distal end side of the knuckle portion 7 from the distal end side to the rear end side, and the stopper portion 15 contacts the side wall 16 on the distal end side of the clevis portion 8 so that the vertical base is formed. The opening angles of 3 and 4 are prevented from exceeding a predetermined angle.

When the upper and lower bases 3 and 4 are closed, the working section 13 overlaps with the lower surface of the working section 9 of the upper base 3. When the tape fiber 80 is placed between the working unit 13 and the extension working unit 13a, the tape fiber 8
A guide groove 14 for storing and positioning 0 is provided.

The tape fiber single-core separating tool 1 of the present invention sandwiches the terminal portion of the tape fiber 80 from both sides so as to separate the fiber core wire at the terminal portion of the tape fiber 80 from the both sides. A pair of upper and lower shearing tools 17a and 17b for shearing and separating the tape in the direction, and a pair of cuts in the tape coating layer 84 to remove the tape coating layer 84 remaining around the single-separated upstream fiber core. Cutting blades 18a and 18b.

The upper shearing member 17a is mounted in a mounting groove 20 formed in the side wall 19 on the rear end side of the working section 9. The lower shearing tool 17b includes upper and lower bases 3, 4
Is attached to the lower base 4 so as to be fitted with the upper shearing tool 17a when closed.

The lower shear 17b is provided with a fiber storage groove 21 for storing the tape fiber 80. The bottom surface of the fiber storage groove 21 and the bottom surface of the guide groove 14 are made to coincide.

The upper cutting blade 18a is provided on the upstream side (left side in FIG. 1B) of the pair of shearing tools 17a, 17b, and is provided in a recess 22 formed from the lower surface of the working unit 9 to the inside thereof. Installed. The lower cutting blade 18b is attached to the concave portion 23 formed in the lower base 4 such that when the upper and lower bases 3 and 4 are closed, the cutting edge thereof is on an extension of the cutting edge of the upper cutting blade 18a. The gap between the cutting edges when the pair of cutting blades 18a and 18b are closed is set to be larger than the glass diameter of the fiber core.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the tape fiber single core separation tool 1 shown in FIG. 1 at the start of use. Normally, the upper and lower bases 3 and 4 of the tape fiber single-fiber separation tool 1 of the present invention are in an opened state, and the end of the tape fiber 80 to be separated by a single fiber is separated from the terminal 80a of the tape fiber 80 by a predetermined length L. Fiber storage groove 21 at a remote position
2 and positioned by the guide groove 14, a state at the start of use as shown in FIG. 2 is obtained.

Next, the pair of shears 17a and 17b will be described in more detail.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a pair of shearing tools 17a and 17b. FIG. 3 (a) is a plan view of a shear pressing tool 30 as an upper shearing tool 17a, and FIG.
(B) is a plan view of the receiving tool 40 as the lower shearing tool 17b.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the receiver 40
This is the lower shear 17b when a four-core tape fiber is selected as the tape fiber. The receiving member 40 is entirely formed in a substantially concave flat plate shape, and has holes 45a and 45b through which screws for attaching the receiving member 40 to the mounting groove 20 are inserted.

A concave portion 41 is formed at one end 40a of the receiving member 40. As described above, the fiber accommodating groove 21 for accommodating the tape fiber is formed in the central portion at the back of the concave portion 41. Width W of fiber storage groove 21
_{Numeral 21} is set to be substantially the same as the width of the tape fiber to be separated as a single fiber.

[0030] At both ends of the bottom surface 21b of the fiber receiving groove 21, a substantially rectangular shaped notch groove 42a of substantially the same width W ₄₂ and the diameter of the fiber strand, a 42b, along the longitudinal direction of the receptacle 40 formed are doing. Notched groove 42a, the depth D ₄₂ of 42b may be appropriately determined. Each notch groove 42a, 4
In the back part of 2b, relief portions 43a and 43b for the fiber core wires having a width larger than the groove width are formed. Notch groove 4
A convex portion 44 protrudes from the center of the bottom surface of the fiber housing groove 21 between 2a and 42b. That is, the bottom surface 21b of the fiber housing groove 21 and the notch grooves 42a and 42b are
The tape fiber has a step at a position corresponding to the core line boundary.

In FIG. 7, the notched grooves 42a and 42b are grooves for pushing down the first core wire 83a and the fourth core wire 83d which are sheared and separated together with the tape coating layer 84 in the core line direction.

[0032] As shown in FIG.
Numeral 0 is the upper shearing tool 17b when a 4-core tape fiber is selected as the tape fiber. The shear pressing member 30 is formed in a substantially convex flat plate shape as a whole, and has screw holes 35a and 35b through which screws for attaching the shear pressing member 30 to the mounting grooves are formed.

A projection 31 is formed on one end 30a of the shear pressing tool 30. At the tip of the convex portion 31, a receiver 4 is provided.
The projections 32a, 32b having a rectangular cross-section to be fitted into the respective notched grooves 42a, 42b of No. 0 are formed. Projection 32
a, the width W ₃₂ of 32b are also set to be substantially the same as the diameter of the fiber core. Further, the protrusion 32a, the height H ₃₂ of 32b is notched groove 42a, to be substantially the same as the depth D ₄₂ of 42b. Between the projections 32a and 32b,
A groove 33 that fits with the convex portion 44 of the receiving member 40 is defined, and a space portion 34 having a width larger than the groove width is formed in a deep portion of the groove 33.

The protrusions 32a and 32b are, as shown in FIG.
The tape coating layer 8 is formed between the adjacent first and second core wires 83a and 83b and between the adjacent third and fourth core wires 83c and 83d.
4 is sheared in the direction of the core wire, and the first core wire 83
a, a blade for pushing down the fourth center line 83d into the notch grooves 42a, 42b.

Here, as a four-core tape fiber to be separated into single fibers, for example, the width is about 1.16 mm and the thickness is about 0.1 mm.
The dimensions of each part when using a fiber having a diameter of 22 mm, a fiber core diameter of about 0.3 mm, and an optical fiber diameter of about 0.15 mm will be described. In this case, and the width W ₂₁ of approximately 1.16mm fiber storage groove 21, notched grooves 42a, 42b the width W ₄₂ of approximately 0.35mm, and the depth D ₄₂ of about 0.7 mm, the protrusion 3
2a, 32 b about 0.3mm width W ₃₂ of the height H ₃₂ or equal to about 0.7 mm.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view when the pair of cutting blades 8a and 8b are closed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper cutting blade 18a
The cutting edge protrudes from the lower surface 3d of the upper base 3 by a predetermined length d and is fixed to the concave portion 22. Lower cutting blade 1
The cutting edge 8b is also fixed to the recess 23 by protruding from the bottom surface 14b of the guide groove 14 by a predetermined length d. As described above, the gap g between the cutting edges when the pair of cutting blades 18a and 18b are closed is set to be larger than the glass diameter of the fiber core.

When the above-described size is used as the four-core tape fiber to be separated into single fibers, a predetermined length d
Is about 0.12 mm, and the gap g is 0.16 mm ≦ g ≦
It is good to be 0.18 mm.

The operation of the present invention will be described.

First, the gap g between the cutting edges of the upper and lower cutting blades
Will be explained on the basis that 0.16 mm ≦ g ≦ 0.18 mm. Table 1 shows the cutting amount of the tape coating layer and the tape coating removability when the tool 1 was used while changing the gap g between the cutting edges of the upper and lower cutting blades.

[0041]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, when g ≦ 0.15 mm, the cutting edge of the upper and lower cutting blades touches the optical fiber, and the optical fiber may be disconnected. On the other hand, 0.19
When mm ≦ g, the edges of the upper and lower cutting blades do not sufficiently enter the tape coating layer, so that a sufficient trigger for easily removing the tape coating layer may not be obtained. Therefore, the gap g between the cutting edges of the upper and lower cutting blades is 0.16 mm ≦ g ≦
0.18 mm is optimal.

Next, the operation procedure of the tape fiber single core separation tool 1 will be described.

First, the tool 1 is brought into a normal state in which the upper base 4 and the lower base 3 are opened. The end of the tape fiber 80 to be separated into a single fiber is housed in the guide groove 14 and the fiber housing groove 21 such that the length L from the end of the tape fiber 80 to the fiber housing groove 21 is within about 20 mm. . In this state, the tool 1 is grasped with the right hand, and the upper base 3 is pressed against the lower base 4 with the right thumb to close the upper base 3 and the lower base 4.

At this time, the projecting portion 32 of the shear pressing device 30
With the tapes a and 32b, the tape between the adjacent first core wire 83a and the second core wire 83b and between the adjacent third core wire 83c and the fourth core wire 83d together with the tape coating layer 84 are sheared and separated in the core wire direction. Further, the first and second core wires 83a and 83d are
It is pushed down into the notch grooves 42a and 42b and is divided into a first core line 83a and a fourth core line 83d to obtain a state as shown in FIG. At the same time, a pair of cutting blades 18a,
By 18b, a cut is made only in the upper and lower tape coating layers 84 in the thickness direction of the tape fiber 80.

Thereafter, the right thumb is released, the upper base 3 and the lower base 4 are opened, and the tape fiber 80 is taken out. When a bending strain is applied to the cut by repeatedly bending the cut in the thickness direction of the tape fiber 80 around the cut, the tape coating layer 84 peels off. As shown in FIG. 6, the tape coating layer 84 can be completely removed from the cords 83a to 83d by pulling in the longitudinal direction with the peeled tape coating layer 84 as a trigger.

As described above, in the present invention, at the end of the tape fiber, the fiber core wire is sheared and separated into a single core by a pair of shearing tools together with the tape coating layer. The tape coating layer remains in an orderly state around the fiber after the single fiber separation. Furthermore, at the same time, since only the tape coating layer remaining around the single fiber separated upstream fiber core is cut with a pair of cutting blades, the tape coating layer is easily removed with the cut as a trigger. can do.

The pair of shearing tools and the pair of cutting blades are mounted on the upper and lower bases according to the dimensions of the tape fiber to be separated into a single core, and excessive force may be applied as in a conventional can-shaped single core separation tool. There is no damage to the colored layer. As a result, the tape fiber can be easily
In addition, single core can be separated in a short time.

The single-fiber tape fiber separation tool of the present invention comprises:
Since it is small enough to fit on the palm and has a small number of parts, it is small, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive. This tool is used with the right hand when working, and the working part of the upper base and the working part of the lower base extend to the left,
The operation can be performed while watching the tape fiber that is desired to be separated into single fibers, which is convenient.

Further, a relief portion of the fiber core wire having a width larger than the groove width is provided in a deep portion of each notch groove of the receiving device, and a space having a width larger than the groove width is provided in a deep portion of the groove of the shear pressing device. Since the portion is formed, even if the tool is repeatedly used, the workability can be improved because there is no chip or clogging of the tape fiber in extremely small details.

In the present embodiment, a description has been given of an example in which a four-core tape fiber is used as the tape fiber. However, the present invention is not limited to a four-core tape fiber. Can be applied to two-core and eight-core tape fibers, if appropriately modified according to the type of tape.

[0052]

As is apparent from the above description,
According to the present invention, the following excellent effects are exhibited.

(1) A single fiber can be easily separated from the tape fiber in a short time.

(2) It is possible to realize a tool that is small, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive.

(3) The workability can be improved because there is no dust clogging in extremely small details.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view (a) showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
It is a right side view (b) and a plan view (c).

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state at the time of starting use of the tape fiber single-fiber separation tool shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 (a) is a plan view of a shearing press as an upper shearing tool, and FIG. 3 (b) is a plan view of a receiving tool as a lower shearing tool.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view when a pair of cutting blades are closed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state of a tape fiber separated by shearing.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state of a tape fiber that has been sheared and cut.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing an example of a tape fiber.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Tape fiber single core separation tool 17a, 17b A pair of shearing tools 18a, 18b A pair of cutting blades 80 Tape fiber 84 Tape coating layer

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshinobu Kurosawa 5-1-1 Hidaka-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture Within the Opto-System Research Laboratory, Hitachi Cable, Ltd. (72) Inventor Satoshi Kikuchi, Hidaka-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture 5-1-1, Hitachi Cable Co., Ltd. Hidaka Factory (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Tanase 2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo F-term in Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation 2H038 CA03

Claims (4)

[Claims] A single fiber is separated from a tape fiber at a terminal part,
In a single-fiber separation tool for removing the tape coating layer remaining around the fiber core after single-fiber separation, the end of the fiber core at the end of the tape fiber is separated from both sides to separate the core. A pair of shearing tools for shearing and separating in the core line direction with the pinch and the tape coating layer, and cut in the tape coating layer to remove the tape coating layer remaining around the single fiber separated upstream fiber core wire. And a pair of cutting blades into which the tape fiber is inserted. 2. A pair of shearing tools include a receiving tool having a cutout groove having substantially the same diameter as a fiber core wire, and a projection fitted into each of the cutout grooves. 2. A single-fiber separation tool for tape fiber according to claim 1, comprising a shear pressing tool for shear-separating the core wire together with the tape coating layer in the direction of the core wire. 3. The tape fiber single-fiber separation tool according to claim 2, wherein a relief portion for a fiber core wire having a width larger than the groove width is formed in a deep portion of each notch groove of the receiving member. 4. The tape fiber single-fiber separation tool according to claim 1, wherein a gap between the cutting edges when the pair of cutting blades is closed is formed to be larger than a glass diameter of the fiber core.